


Nerves

by alessandralee



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hospitals, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alessandralee/pseuds/alessandralee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s not your fault, you know,” Skye finally says. “Even May and Coulson thought they’d be safe there.”</p>
<p>He knows this, but that’s not what’s bothering him. But that’s something he can’t talk about with Skye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nerves

Grant Ward angrily paces down the hall of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He’s been doing this for the last half hour, stopping occasionally to run his hands through his dark hair to curse under his breath in one of the six languages he speaks. He raced to get here, not even bothering to change out of the blood-stained clothes he’d worn on the mission (it’s black so it barely shows, and none of it’s his so it doesn’t really matter), and every additional minute of waiting makes him more anxious for some kind of news. He’s glad they don’t have to stay in the waiting room, at least, he probably wouldn’t have been able to deal with that many other people.

Skye, seated in what must me an uncomfortable chair, about three quarters of the way down the hall, raises an eyebrow at him every so often, but it seems she knows better than to try to make conversation with him in this state. Melinda May left them about 15 minutes ago to check on Fitz, who is supposed to be sleeping off his comparatively minor injuries in another wing of the hospital. Coulson was gone before they arrived; no one mentioned where he was, but Grant assumed he was updating Director Fury on the status of their earlier mission, or looking into the interrogation of some of the men they’d captured.

They had all assumed it would be safe to leave Simmons and Fitz unattended in their makeshift lab while the rest of the team pursued a group of arms dealers distributing modified alien weapons. Coulson wanted Skye on hand to hack into their security system. He’d fought against that. Fortunately, he’d been overruled, or they could have two team members in the operating room right now.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Skye finally says. “Even May and Coulson thought they’d be safe there.”

He knows this, but that’s not what’s bothering him. But that’s something he can’t talk about with Skye. So he just grunts at her. She rolls her eyes again while he continues pacing.

May returned a half an hour later, finding them exactly as she left them.

“Three cracked ribs and a lot of bruises. He’ll be fine, but they want him in bed for the time being.”

Grant imagines she added that last part because he tried to leave his bed and join them. Scratch that, he probably tried to leave his bed and get into the OR, fear of blood be damned.

Grant considered pushing his way in there, too. But he’s not a doctor, not even a PhD, so he decided he’d be better off out of the way. Still, he can’t shake the image of Jemma lying bloody and alone on that operating table. He thought he’d become immune to the sight of blood, but just thinking about her in that state makes his stomach turn.

The thought briefly crosses his mind that he should have stayed behind with him. He’d actually suggested it to her, privately. She hadn’t taken that well. Not only did she insist that she’d be fine, she told him to stop trying to play babysitter; she didn’t need one. He should have left it at that, but something had possessed him to remind her that while she hadn’t passed any of her SHIELD physical training, he was an expert at marksmanship and hand to hand combat. And that was when the normally bubbly Jemma Simmons got serious. Calmly, she informed him she’d respect his combat training when he respected her intelligence, her independence, and her ability to make her own decisions. She ended with a cutting remark about he also needed to respect her desire to tell the rest of the teem that they were in a relationship. She’d probably been sitting on that comment for a while now. He’d chosen that moment to turn things into shouting match. He wasn’t particularly proud of that at the moment.

Now, her life was in the hands of doctors, multiple bullet wounds grazing vital organs. And Grant Ward was in his least favorite position, waiting helplessly while someone he cares for fights for her life. It felt just as terrifying as the first time.

He’s brought out of his worries when an angry orderly turns down the hall, pushing a frantic Fitz in a wheelchair. She explains that she took pity on him after finding him trying to make it down here on his own. Twice. Skye takes the handles of wheelchair, simultaneously thanking the orderly and berating Fitz for risking his health. He doesn’t even pretend to be embarrassed.

Skye’s lecture is cut off when a surgeon exits the operating room. He confers with May, and Fitz after he refuses to be left out of the conversation. Ward opts to sit next to Skye, simultaneously anxious for good news and terrified it will be bad. He’s can’t tear his eyes away from the conversation going on a few feet away, but he does notice that Skye is still looking at him funny. It even looks like she’s about to say something a few times, but then decides not to. 

When the doctor leaves, Grant notes that Fitz looks visibly relieved. May looks the same as ever. She doesn’t say anything, but after she’s pushed Fitz’s wheelchair over to them, she ruffles his hair a bit, which Grant takes as another good sign. 

“She’s out of the woods,” Fitz says, and Grant lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “She’s asleep now, but they’ve given her a private room and we can see her when she wakes up in about an hour.”

Skye is grinning as the grabs the handles of Fitz’s wheelchair and starts pushing him towards the hospital cafeteria. Grant joins them, but May excuses herself to update Coulson. Briefly, it feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. She’s going to be okay. She’s not going to die hating him. But then he remembers she’s probably going to live hating him. She was absolutely furious before he left for the mission. His stomach turns over again. He doesn’t really know how to fix things like that. It’s not a situation he’s dealt with before.

Skye and Fitz chat happily while they eat their tasteless hospital food. Grant just picks at his cup of jello, and Skye is definitely still giving him strange looks out of the corner of her eye.

When they reach Jemma’s room, they all give Fitz a private moment with her. Grant can hear the two of them fussing each other. Of course Jemma wouldn’t let a near death experience keep her from worrying over Fitz. That’s when Coulson joins them. He doesn’t have much to say, just a confirmation that they’ve cleared the warehouse of all weapons and managed to get the name of their supplier out of one of the men they captured. He speaks to Jemma briefly after Fitz exits the room, and then he’s gone.

Ward lets Skye and May go in next, telling himself that he’s just being polite and that it definitely has nothing to do with the nagging worry that Jemma will tell him she doesn’t want anything to do with him ever again. With Skye in the hospital room, it seems awkward starting duty as fallen to Fitz. At least he seems willing to use words as well.

“You should just say you’re sorry.”

He wasn’t expecting that. 

“For what?” He asks.

“Whatever you did to piss her off yesterday. She shattered three beakers and cursed at you every time. I’m guessing you insulted her intelligence, but even if she’s mad you didn’t kiss her goodbye or something, you should still just apologize.”

Grant doesn’t know what to say to that. Fortunately, Skye chooses that moment to pop out of Jemma’s room and she always knows what to say.

“Dude, everyone knows. You suck at being discrete, and we’re not exactly blind.”

“Or deaf,” Fitz, who sleeps in the room next to Jemma’s, chimes in.

May catches the trail end of that and shoots Grant a knowing look before disappearing again. 

Jemma’s room is empty and he has no reason not to go in and see her, but he’s still nervous. She was really angry with him. He doesn’t think an apology is going to cut it.

“Go,” Skye pretty much orders, and Grant realizes that if he doesn’t get up now, she and Fitz will probably drag him in there. So he walks to the door, his hearth threatening to pump out of his chest.

He’s not quite in the room yet when he hears her voice.

“Don’t say you told me so.”

He’s taken aback by this. She’s clearly not mad at him, but how can she possibly think he’s mad at her? She nearly died. He was too busy worrying about her and beating himself up to even think about being mad at her.

He can’t think of anything to say to that, to let her know that there’s no way he’s angry with her.

“They know we’re together.”

Apparently he’s just going to avoid that topic altogether.

She laughs. “Fitz just told me. They’ve known for a month, apparently. They’ve been taking bets on when we’d confess to it. May went with, and I quote ‘the first time one of them is in mortal danger.’ She won.”

May would say that. And their team would take bets. That much doesn’t surprise him. It’s just all so ridiculous given the circumstances that, mixed with the relief he feels, he suddenly can’t stop laughing. He’s laughing to hard he has to take a seat in the chair next to Jemma’s bed. And then he’d doubled over, laughing into the mattress next to her body. Her hand find his head, gently working her fingers along his scalp, and he’s reminded of why they’re all here.

Soberly, he lifts his gaze to meet hers.

“I’m glad you’re okay.:

Softly, almost shyly, she replies. “Me too.”

Their reunion is interrupted by a nurse, who says Jemma needs her rest. He reluctantly returns to the rest of team, but not before teasinginly telling Jemma that she’s lucky to have escaped the teasing he’ll definitely be getting from them.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise that the next fic I write will not feature Jemma Simmons going through a major physical/emotional trauma. Maybe.


End file.
